


Time and Space

by szm



Category: A-Team (2010)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-21
Updated: 2012-03-21
Packaged: 2017-11-02 08:04:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/366807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/szm/pseuds/szm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Introspective Murdock</p>
            </blockquote>





	Time and Space

Murdock knew at a young age that he wasn’t quite _right_.

He knew because people told him, teachers, friends, even his grandparents. But Murdock was funny and clever and they liked him anyway. Murdock never really worried about it. The world contained Billy and acres of sky. Everything else seemed small and… unimportant. Murdock would lie for hours looking up at the (endless, perfect) sky, making shapes out of the clouds. Sometimes other people would join him but the things they saw were so _boring_ , Murdock would just end up feeling sorry for them.

As Murdock got older the world got more crowded. School and friends and part time jobs. Never enough money, never enough _time_. Too crowded for Billy, who disappeared. Murdock’s Granddad died and Murdock was half-convinced that the world just hadn’t had room for him anymore. 

Sometimes Murdock could see them in the clouds, if he looked. But there was college and learning to fly and the army, the _Rangers_ and there wasn’t time to look at clouds.

There wasn’t _space_.

Now it seemed being funny and clever wasn’t enough to be liked. Murdock was a great pilot, easily the best because none of the others knew how to talk to their planes or choppers. Worse still they didn’t know how to _listen_. Can’t expect a lady to risk her skin for yours if you’ve never even said ‘hello’. Can’t help her move the way she wants to if you can’t hear what she’s saying. Can’t tell when she’s hurting, then as far as Murdock was concerned you were no pilot at all.

“Murdock? Murdock’s a great pilot. But…”

No-one ever said what the ‘but’ was. It was like a secret that no-one would let Murdock in on. The ‘but’ followed him around until it was almost another person. A spikey, giggling person who stood just over Murdock’s left shoulder all the time. ‘But’ filled up too much space, pushing Murdock out.He felt like he might just disappear, like Granddad, like Billy. It was better when he was in the air. No room for the ‘but’ up there. Twisting and turning and playing. Bringing the boys home. Great pilot, best pilot ever. 

The ‘but’ was always waiting when he touched down though. Sniggering to itself.

Then one day it all went away. It all disappeared and Billy came back. The world was big enough to contain _anything_. All the things he’d seen in the clouds as a kid and more. Everything was so simple and Murdock laughed and laughed because no-one else could see it.

Mexico was fine. The sky was amazing and Billy liked the warmth. The only problem is that no-one would let him go and play in the amazing sky. The old girl on the roof kept asking him and he had to turn her down. Murdock never did like to disappoint a lady.

Then the world gave him Face and Bosco and Hannibal. 

Hannibal who looked at him and actually _saw_ him, right from the first moment. The only person aside from his Granddad who hadn’t tried to separate out the crazy parts and the sane parts, who understood that it’s all the same, all mixed up and none of it works without the rest. Murdock was a Ranger. And that was good enough for Hannibal.

There was no ‘but’ with Bosco. Not ever.Bosco scared the spikey, giggly thing away. Bosco would call Murdock a ‘crazy fool’ all the time. Somehow it lost all its power when it was said aloud. Besides he knew how to listen to all sorts of things, cars, and bikes, and engines and electronics. He wasn’t so good with things that flew but that was Murdock’s job anyway.

Then there was Face, stretched out on the roof of the current safe house next to Murdock. 

“There see?” he asked pointing up at the large fluffy cloud. “That looks like Hannibal.”

Murdock frowned. “You sure, Facey. Don’t look like it to me. Looks like Godzilla.”

Face just laughed. “Hannibal in a Godzilla suit then. With the cigar.”

Murdock squinted and then laughed because he could see it too. “Being chased by Billy, look.”  
Murdock pointed at a smaller cloud being blown towards the bigger one. 

Face turned his head a little to look, then smirked. "Yeah, I see that, buddy."

Later on there would be fighting and flying. Hannibal’s plan would work, because Hannibal’s plans always did. Then they’d be moving on again. Lots of people it seemed just wanted to lock them up. But the world contained Billy, and acres of sky, and his friends and everything else was small and unimportant.


End file.
